9 Easy Homemade Valentines

Valentine’s Day is just a week away! Make this year’s celebration of love truly memorable with a new twist on old traditions!

The Valentine’s Day tradition started in the early 1700s, and for centuries it was celebrated with an exchange of handwritten notes and handmade tokens of affection. (You can thank the Victorians for today’s Valentine’s Day style—they liked their paper goodies dolled up with lavish images of lovebirds, cupids, and flowers!) When printing technology began to improve, mass-produced cards become the norm. But if your local drugstore’s offerings fall short of your grand expectations, you can opt to create handmade Valentine’s Day gifts and greetings that are truly authentic, and won’t fail in the romance department either.

Wikipedia says that lovers have traditionally expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as “valentines“). So whether you chose something edible, grow-able, or save-able, your loved one will sure to delight in the sweetness of your hand-made tokens of love. Below, Brides.com asked eight of their favorite designers to share their best ideas for homemade valentines.